Charlotte councilmembers consider another proposal for Eastland Yards

CHARLOTTE — There’s another proposal on the table for the Eastland Yards Development.

On Monday, Charlotte City Council scrapped one proposal and voted to accept a new bid for another.

When talking about Eastland Yards, we’re essentially discussing two different sections: One is the park managed by the county, and the other is the 20 acres Charlotte FC was going to develop. The city is down to two options for the latter, and they want input.

Construction is underway for the western part of Eastland Yards, which will include housing, shopping, and a county park when it’s all finished in about five years. City leaders are trying to narrow down what will round out the remaining land.

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Despite so much back and forth, neighbor Ronnie Lytel says there’s little to show for it:

“Now it’s just a big land mass,” Lytel said. “It’s kind of like an eyesore.”

On Monday night, council scrapped the proposed Carolina Serves Project, which was a racquet sports and entertainment complex. In its place, they voted to consider a new proposal called Eastland Yards Indoor Sports Complex. It would include 10 basketball, 20 volleyball and 40 pickleball courts, plus outdoor fields and leasable space.

The QC East at Eastland Yards is the second contender. The similar outline would include eight athletics fields, entertainment venues, and an e-sports gaming area.

While the goal is to revitalize east Charlotte, Lytel feels the stalled plans are doing the opposite.

“I think with all the confusion going on with all of it, it kind of is keeping people away from it,” he said.

Either way, taxpayers would contribute roughly $80 million combined to the entire development.

A final decision could come as soon as this month.

Council member Marjorie Molina, who represents the area, wants to get community feedback. But neighbor Dominic Lowe said the project shouldn’t wait any longer.

“I think they should get it out of the way,” he said. “I mean, if you can’t come to an agreement on things, how are we going to get anywhere?”

“The people need an opportunity to see and 10 people can’t decide that,” Molina said.

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Plan for Eastland Mall site will include ice skating rink

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